Cigarette-case.



G. W. HILL.

CIGARETTE CASE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20, 1013.

1,119,281. Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

v @WILVVVQ w l ED STATF I:TENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. HILL, 0]? NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN TOBACCO COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CIGARETTE-CASE.

Application filed March 26, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gnoncn W. HILL, a

citizen of the United States, residing at' New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cigarette-Cases, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in pocket cigarette cases especially designed for use in connection with cigarettes that are packed in what are known as slide boxes.

The objecg of the invention is a provide, as an entire y new article of manufacture, a novel, attractive, and substantially constructed pocket case adapted to receive and retain the filled or packed cigarette-containing members of ordinary paper slide-boxes in such manner that one end of the paper slide may be pushed from the case to enable the smoker to remove-a cigarette or cigarettes when desired, and which may then be pushed back into the case for protection and convenience in carrying. The said case thus serves as a permanent container in which the smoker may insert the packed or filled boxes or box-slides, either or both, as

fresh boxes of cigarettes are purchased, a filled slide or box and slide being substituted for an empty one when replenishing becomes necessary, thus avoiding the time, trouble and annoyance that is required in filling the known types of cases, wherein the cigarettes are placed therein by hand one at a time.

In all the cigarette cases with which I am familiar, it is necessary when filling them, to place the cigarettes therein one at a time, taking the cigarettes from the original box or package and carefully arranging them in the case in regular order to pre vent breaking or buckling. This filling or replenishing operation not only requires considerable time, trouble and annoyance, but often results in some of the cigarettes so transferred becoming damaged to such an extent as to render them useless for smoking purposes, and the result is that these old style hand-filled cigarette cases have never gone into general use, their use being the exception rather than the rule.

The cigarette case forming the subject matter of the present application is filled without any handling of the individual cigarettes and the case maybe completely filled Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1, 1914.

Serial No. 756,902.

or emptied in less time and with less trouble than it takes to transfer a single cigarette from its original box or package to one of the old style cases.

My improved cigarette case is simple and durable in construction, neat in appearance, and comparatively cheap to manufacture, and constitues an entirely "new and useful article of manufacture having peculiarly promlnent physical characteristics that especially adapt it to the purposes and objects for which it is intended and clearly distinguish it from other forms of cigarette cases or containers.

In order to enable others to understand, make and use my said invention, two preferred forms of which are herein disclosed, I will now proceed to describe the same in detail, reference being made for this purpose to the accompanying drawings, where1n-- Figure l is a perspective view of one form or style of case made according to the invention. Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the case as containing a filled box slide, one end of the slide being pushed out of the case to enable the withdrawal of one or more cigarettes. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1. Fig. t is an end view of the case shown collapsed. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of another style of case made according to the invention, a complete cigarette box being shown therein. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken on the line 6-43 of Fig. 5, the showing being somewhat exaggerated to more clearly illustrate the construction;

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 thereof, which illustrate a cigarette case designed to receive a slide box as a whole. including both shell and slide, or simply the slide member of such a box containing a single row of cigarettes, the reference letter A designates the case proper which consists in the in stance shown of a rectangular or box form shell having relatively broad upper and lower walls a and b, and opposite side walls 0, the said shell being open at its opposite ends as shown to receive the original cigarette package comprising an inner slide box or cigarette container 4, such as shown in Fig. 2, which has the usual hinged closure flap 5. The shell of the case is preferpocket and when taken out for use.

slid'ably inserted therein and its interior dimensions being only so much larger than the cigarette box or its slide-member as to enable the ready insertion and withdrawal of either or both of such members, as the case may be, depending upon whether the caseis constructed to receive boththe boxshell and its slide-member or only the latter. While the'shell of the case should be made of a size to cnablethe ready insertion and removal of the cigarette box or its slide, there should however, be a sufficiently close fit between the parts to insure maintenance thereof in assembled condition, and prevent accidental displacement when carried i? the nasmuch as these cigarette boxes and their slides are usually made of smooth-surfaced or somewhat glazed paper, there is a tend ency for the box or its contained slide to slip out of the case, and as will hereinafter appear l have provided a special construction to overcome this difiiculty. in order to make the shell 6, sufficiently durable to withstand the wear and tear to which it is naturally subjected during continued use, or

in other words, to give it lasting qualities, and also tomake it attractive, ll cover the entire external surface thereof with some suitable wear-resisting material 7, and for this purpose ll prefer to employ a good quality of grained or pebbled leather, the marginal edges 8 of which are neatly turned over and into the opposite open ends of the shell 6, and then pasted or glued to the inner walls of the shell as more clearly shown in Fig. 3. This manner of attaching the covering material exposes the. grained or pebbled surfaces of the turned-in marginal portions or edges 8, for frictional contact with the outer walls of the cigarette box or its slide-member, as the case may he, at the op-' posite ends thereof, and constitutes a rrictional retaining means to prevent accidental displacement of the box or its slide relative to the case, but at the same time permits the box or its slide to be readily pushed out of or intothe case when a cigarette is desired, or when a fresh supply of cigarettes is being inserted into the case. l[he leather or other covering wear-resisting material 7, is preferably formed from a single strip wrapped or wound about the outer surface of the shell 6, and by preference only the marginal inturned portions 8, are pasted or glued to the shell, the portions overlying or covering the outer walls of the shell remaining free or unattached. This gives to the case a somewhat padded appearance,

annea open ends of the shell the portion turned inv and lying just within the mouth of the shell operates to yieldingly choke or restrictthe cross section of the mouth and at the same time reinforce the corners at this point inside, which reinforcing effect is added to the reinforcing effect of the flexible cover on tire outer side of the shell. y

The form of case illustrated inhigs. 1 and 2, is shown as containing only the slide member of a cigarette box carrying but a single row' of cigarettes and for this reason the case is relatively broad and shallow; or

thin, In Figs. 5 and 6, l have shownthe case asconstructed to receive a cigarette box containing a double row of cigarettes and, the case is therefore narrower an? deeper than the form first above referred to. Inasmuch as l contemplate making. my improved. cases of dimensions suitable to re ceive either the original cigarette box-slide or both the slide and its ordinary paper shell or casing, l have shown the case B, in Figs. 5 and 6, as containing both the box shell 9 and its slide member -10, the said case being otherwise constructed identically like the case illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2,

although I may, if desired, and in some in stances ll prefer to slightly incline the side walls 12 of the case toward each other, as

-more clearly shown in Fig. 6, or in. other words, make the case slightly narrower at one end than at the other, so that when the box shell 9 is pushed into the case itwill bind tightly therein at the narrower end so that it will not be accidentally pushed out along with, or will not follow the slide when one end of the latter is being. projected in i the usual way for the purpose of withdraw- .ing a cigarette, and this contracting of one end of the case will also prevent accidental displacement of both the box shell and its slide-member when the complete cigarette:

box is inserted in the case, since the walls of all the parts are more or less flexible or yielding and pressure exerted by the con rea tracted side walls of the case will be communicated to the box-shell and from the to the side walls of the slide-member.

it will be seen from the foregoing that if have provided an entirely new and useful article of manufacture, involving a dis tinctly new inventive idea of means for carrying out the objects and purposes of the invention, and while I am aware that my improved cigarette case, so far as its general shape is concerned, resembles in a way, the shell-member of a paper slide-box, it is clearly distinguished from such a box-shell by reason of the structural characteristics herein set forth in detail and as pointed out in the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. As a new article of manufacture, a pocket cigarette case comprising a substantially rectangular shell open at two opposite ends and adapted to slidably receive and frictionally embrace and retain a cigaretteslide box inserted therein, the outer walls of said shell having a leather covering applied thereto, the marginal edges of the said covering being turned or folded over the open ends of the shell and'aflixed to the inner Walls thereof, said inturned marginal edges being exposed within the shell for direct contact with the walls of the cigarette box to friotionally retain the latter in the shell.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a pocket cigarette case comprising a box-form shell open at two opposite ends and adapted to slidably receive and retain a cigarette slide-box inserted therein, said shell being slightly narrower at one end than at the other and having a covering of flexible Wear-resisting material applied to the outer walls thereof reinforcing the corners of said shell, substantially as and for the purpose described In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

J. GRANVILLE Mnms, R. J. BOYLAN. 

